My Treasure
by TheBlazingOptimist
Summary: *CURRENTLY ON HIATUS* Alexia has been having feelings for Claireparker for quite some time, but when she finally comes out about them, how will her former rival react? And, as their relationship progresses, how will the rest of the team take the news? Pixelface AU rare-pair femslash, set during the Series 2 episode "Quit Bugging Me".R&R!
1. Feelings

**Hi again guys, Blaze here with a rather random new fic. This one's based upon a show not many people know about, called Pixelface. Put simply, it's a sort of sitcom about what video game characters do during their "time off". I don't really want to spoil anything canon, so I suggest for the rest of the info you turn to Google. **

**Anyways, back to the story itself- I had part of this written before I'd even finished my last fic, but I'll leave posting that until later. The relationships in this aren't canon by any means, and it will be rated T, and possibly M for later chapters. As such, it will be quite a change from my previous writing. I'm thinking of it as a metaphor for me maturing, and therefore, my fics, maturing in the same way. **

**Enjoy!**

**Wishing you a happy life,**

**Love,**

**Blaze x **

"I'm trying to read!" Kiki said exasperatedly. Claireparker and Alexia had been competing for the last hour or so- it had started with apples being thrown into the bin, then it escalated into other things, like pressups. She wasn't usually the character who would get angry easily- she was very upbeat and optomistic most of the time- but she'd only just come out of a quite hard level of her game, Groove Academy 2, and was trying to read her favourite wind-down magazine. Her two female friends were making it very hard.

"...seven, eight, nine, ten!" Alexia counted, both the girls getting up once she had finished. "Who won?" she asked.

"You both did." Kiki answered. "You're both as good as each other. Now give it a rest!"

"What?" Alexia asked. "There is no way that she could be better than me."

"I _so _am." Claireparker retorted.

"I know!" Kiki interrupted. "As it's nearly bedtime, why don't you go and see who can brush their teeth the fastest."

"...and then go to bed!" she added angrily.

"How ridiculous!" Alexia scoffed.

"Yeah Kiki!" Claireparker said loudly. "As if we'd compete in something so childish!"

"Brushing our teeth! Really!" Alexia added on again.

They then both promptly ran off to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, the two girls were furiously brushing their teeth, toothpaste flying everywhere, hands scuffling.

Alexia was trying to keep her mind on the task in hand, but a particular thought was knocking around at the back of her mind. _No, _she thought, _I have to keep focussed. _

Claireparker turned to her, still brushing. Her face was covered in a layer of frothy white toothpaste. "You don't seem to be doing anything, Alexia..." she commented slyly.

Alexia couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea how ridiculous you look." she said. It was true, the toothpaste seemed to have given her a frothy beard... She giggled again, it being the only way to appropriately show what she was feeling. _Well, either that or straight up telling her she looks- _

"Done!" Claireparker announced, snapping her out of her thoughts. She pushed her hard and laughed, before dropping the toothbrush in the sink and running out, not even bothering to clean the toothpaste off her chin. Alexia groaned before doing the same.

"She cheated!" Alexia screeched as soon as she entered the lounge. "She started brushing her teeth before I did!"

"I did not!" Claireparker responded, watery debris pouring from her mouth as she spoke. "You had more toothpaste than me, you had an unfair advantage!"

"Oh, I've got peppermint fur now!" Rex commented.

"And I'm going to have to wash my sweatbands now!" Kiki added.

"Maybe we should just go to bed." Alexia mused.

"Uhuh." Claireparker agreed.

Alexia then gasped with excitement, before saying: "I bet I could fall asleep quicker than you!"

"No way!" Claireparker answered. "I'm _easily _the best at going to sleep!"

They then both rushed into the sleeping quarters of the console, and started to get changed. Though they were both quick, Claireparker took a little more care, whereas Alexia seemingly tore the clothes off of her body, replacing them just as fast.

She gave her rival a shy smile. Claireparker smiled back, with a more sarcastic look in her eyes.

Alexia sighed quietly. Though she'd never admit it to anyone else, she'd always been very vain, taking upmost pride in her appearance- but when she was around Claireparker, especially when she was getting changed at nighttime and in the mornings, she automatically became a teensy bit self conscious. _Of course, I have no idea why... _

"Daydreaming again, Alexia?" Claireparker asked.

"No!" she replied. "I'm just-"

She stopped speaking as Claireparker pulled on her orange hoodie and swished her hair around, smoothing it out.

Alexia smiled again. _I musn't let her know..._

Soon, they were both in their beds. Alexia was trying to fidget whilst mulling over all the thoughts she'd been having in the last hour. She remembered when Claireparker had first entered the console, her first thought about her had been, _Wow, she's pretty, _immediately followed by, _Maybe even prettier than me!_ which had started the rivalry between the two.

It had remained that way for a month or so, before she'd begun to have feelings towards her- from friendly feelings, to very friendly feelings, to, eventually, slightly romantic feelings. She knew it wasn't unusual to have slight doubts about sexuality at teen age- but she was way past that, so she'd been denying her feelings for a long time. She kept convincing herself that they would pass, but they didn't. Every day, she kept on doing her normal things, playing her game, with that terrible secret locked inside.

She sighed again, slipping herself under the covers. It was too late to start confessing now- maybe she'd gain more courage in the morning.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard a familar voice. "Psst! Are you asleep?" Claireparker whispered.

Alexia groaned. Claireparker was always either adorable or annoying. Right now she was being the latter. "Yes, I'm asleep!" she replied.

"Well," Claireparker asked. "How can you be asleep if you can hear me?"

"Because you're dreaming." Alexia replied, trying to keep up her side of the argument.

"If I'm dreaming," Claireparker retorted, "then I must be asleep, and I bet I fell asleep before you."

"No no no!" Alexia explained. "I dreamt that you were sleeping and you dreamt..." Her voice trailed off.

"Claireparker," she then resumed, "I have something I need to tell you-"

She looked up, to see that she had fallen asleep. No faking as far as she could see.

Alexia breathed out sadly, before snuggling under the covers again and closing her eyes. As soon as she did, she fell straight to sleep.

It only took her a few seconds to wake up again- strangely, it was still dark. Plus, it was unlike her to wake in the middle of the night-

"Hey sweetie." A feminine voice interrupted her. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Claireparker, gazing at her and smiling.

"Claireparker? What are you doing up so late?" Alexia asked. "I thought you were asleep?"

"Oh, I was." she replied. "But I woke up, cos I wanted to give you a special something."

Alexia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Claireparker, the character she'd been crushing on for months, was about to- _AAH! _

She squealed as Claireparker put her hand on her cheek. "Nervous?" she asked.

"N-not at all..." she replied.

"You don't have to lie to me, Alexia." Claireparker said, beginning to sofly kiss her.

Alexia tossed around, groaning with pleasure as her body lapsed into a state of total relaxation.

Then a voice came from nowhere. It wasn't Claireparker... _Kiki?_

"Alexia? Wake up, you sleepyhead!"

She took no notice, continuing to let herself be caressed.

Claireparker lifted her head and spoke. "Alexia!" she called, shaking her wildly. "Get up!"

"No..." Alexia refused, recoiling slowly. "Keep going baby..." Her eyes drifted shut for a second, and when they reopened, light had returned to the room, and Claireparker and Kiki were standing over her.

"Drat!" she said aloud, realising what had happened. "Best night of my life, and it wasn't even real!"

The two other girls looked at each other with confused expressions.

"Um, Alexia?" Kiki asked. "What exactly were you saying during your sleep?"

Alexia gasped. "Well, you both heard me.." she replied.

"If I heard correctly," Claireparker said, "you said my name... and stuff about me being asleep... Alexia, were you dreaming about me?"

"No.." she lied.

"Should I go?" Kiki asked.

"Yes please." Claireparker replied. "You can go make some breakfast, if you'd like."

She nodded, and skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, Alexia," Claireparker began, "have you been having any problems recently? Anything that could have affected your dreams?"

Alexia didn't say anything.

"Alexia, please." Claireparker urged, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know we fight a lot, but you _can _trust me."

She shuddered involuntarily.

"Alexia, are you alright?" she asked.

She sighed. "No..."

_It's time. _

"Claireparker," she said, "I was lying when I said I wasn't dreaming about you."

"That's fine with me." she replied.

"It won't be." Alexia continued sadly. "Because there's more to it than that. More to it than _you_."

She took a deep breath before saying: "I have a confession to make."


	2. Urges

"Go on..." Claireparker said.

Alexia lifted her head, and slowly began to speak. "Claireparker, I-I love you..." she said quietly.

"What?" Claireparker asked, hardly believing the words she'd just heard.

"I... love you." Alexia repeated, even slower and quieter.

"I don't understand..." Claireparker replied. "Is this a recent thing or-"

"It's been going on for months." she interrupted flatly. "About a month after you entered the console I-"

"Wait. A month? That's a rather short time to start liking someone..." Claireparker mused.

"You were irresistible." Alexia replied, giggling girlishly. "You still are."

"How did you keep it hidden for so long?" she asked, curious about the Legend Hunter's now uncharacteristically shy behaviour.

"That's a question I'm still asking myself." Alexia replied. "I was going to confess last night, but you fell asleep before I got the chance."

Claireparker laughed. "I told you I was the best at going to sleep!" she teased.

"Oh, be quiet you!" Alexia responded, pushing her playfully.

"It's hard for me." she explained. "Having to hide all my feelings from you.. it didn't feel natural, y'know?"

"I understand." Claireparker replied calmly.

"Really?" Alexia asked, looking upwards and smiling.

"Yes, really." she replied, smiling back.

"So, you wouldn't mind if I did... this?" She slowly began to advance towards Claireparker, laughing and reaching out her hand so she was almost touching her.

"Alexia, w-what are you doing?" Claireparker asked nervously as her friend got closer and closer.

Alexia said nothing, continuing to come forward.

Claireparker was now backing up into the wall. "Alexia, please stop..." she pleaded, as her friend came within touching distance.

Then, as Alexia got to her closest stance, leaning inwards, the pair's fingertips- and lips- touched for a brief second. That triggered Claireparker to push her hard, causing her to disconnect, and fly backwards, her head hitting the wall behind.

"Oh my- Alexia, I really didn't mean to-"

She was cut off mid sentence. "It's OK, I'm not hurt." Alexia reassured. "I expected everything but the wrestling match."

"What the hell was that for?" she asked angrily, still shaken from the kiss.

"Well, I just thought-"

"You two!" Kiki called, opening the door before Alexia could finish. "Breakfast is ready!"

She stopped talking, looking the girls straight on. "Are you both OK?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah." Claireparker replied, not showing any discernable trace of the anger her voice had had a few minutes before.

"Of course." Alexia added, smoothing out her ponytail.

There was a break in conversation, before Kiki turned and skipped out, gesturing for the others to follow behind her.

They didn't comply, instead sitting and looking each other dead in the eyes. "I know what you were going to say." she told her, eyes cold and unwelcoming. "Well I just thought that you would like it- well, guess what? I didn't like what you did, at all! It was gross and disgusting! I mean, I appreciate your- gentleness- but I'd much rather not be involved with something like this!"

Alexia said nothing in response, instead clearing her throat, and slowly starting to reach for Claireparker's hand, once again touching her fingertips before being pushed back. "No!" she called scornfully, scanning the length of her body before walking out.

"Alexia!" Kiki called, poking her head around the door. "Are you coming?"

She nodded, walking out with her head hung. _Well, that was a success..._


	3. Retrospectives

At the table, the two girls didn't speak a word. "Don't you think it's a little strange?" Rex asked.

Kiki looked around confusedly. "I don't see anything strange- except for you asking what's strange, which I guess is a bit strange, don't you think it's strange?"

"No!" Rex hissed. "I mean, earlier on they were both competing against each other at anything and everything- now they're not even talking!"

"Well," Kiki replied, "maybe something happened between them whilst they were alone in the bedroom- something private, something they don't want to talk about?"

Rex nodded in agreement with her statement, before continuing to munch on one of his many apples.

_You got that right, _Alexia thought bitterly. When she moved in on Claireparker, she expected the recoil, and the shock, in fact, she expected most of what happened. All except for one thing- the rejection.

She was still hurt inside from what had been said- after months of lusting after her, she'd been both figuratively and literally pushed away from the girl who she'd always thought to be her one true love. All the energy she'd exerted into the kiss had been worthless, and as such, she felt depleated, as if all her heart containers had been drained. It wasn't as if she'd stop loving Claireparker- Alexia knew she could be very persistent if she put her mind to it- but she just felt as if a huge part of her world had suddenly vanished, and was never going to return.

She'd done well at hiding her sadness from most of her friends so far, but Claireparker could see easily what she was thinking, and, as a result, was even more miserable. She kept having flashbacks to the moments they'd spent together before the big kiss- they'd felt so normal, so friendly... but then she'd began crawling towards her, eyes sparkling in a fashion she'd never seen before.

Her heart had been pounding with fear, pure, raw fear, and she'd stammered several- but in hindsight, perhaps not enough- warnings, before being almost pinned against the wall. Any other girl would have slapped Alexia across the face, but Claireparker had standards, even in that situation. So, she just continued to plead her friend to stop- and once again, her efforts had proved fruitless.

After that, there were a few brief moments of complete silence- seconds where time seemed to stop- before the impact. Alexia had thrusted her lips onto Claireparker's, the shock immediately overwhelming her. In reality it was only tiny- but sparks could start fires, and that was exactly what had happened to Claireparker. Billions of thoughts began rushing around her head, ones that she couldn't decipher, she felt as if her brain was going to explode... then was the moment she'd come to her senses, and, in a moment of total confusion, had pushed Alexia into the wall.

All this had happened in just a few seconds.

Naturally, Claireparker had questions, many of them, but she decided to ask the biggest one first. In fact, she knew she would have probably done a full-blown interrogation if Kiki hadn't entered at exactly the wrong moment.

_Maybe that was part of what got me so angry, _she thought grimly. At the time, she hadn't at all questioned the words she was going to say to Alexia- all she knew was that she'd just gone through a horrific experience, and needed to let her friend know about it. Looking back, maybe she could have been a little more gentle- _but what else was there to do? _her mind interjected.

Claireparker didn't bother answering, instead looking over at the hidden wreck sitting opposite her. Until now, she'd had no idea how much she'd affected Alexia- but now it was showing, albeit only a little. She had barely touched her food, and, on the more emotional side of things, her eyes had been devoid of any happiness. She had been unsure whether Alexia's feelings for her were an unhealthy obession or actual love- now she had at least a bit of proof that it was the latter.

"Alexia..." she whispered.

No answer.

"Alexia, please say somethi-"

"NO!" Alexia replied loudly, bursting into tears. She threw her fork on the floor, running out, hands covering her face.

The others looked agape. "Well, _someone's _turned her Drama Queen mode up to eleven..." Aethelwynne commented.

All eyes turned to him.

"...Relatively speaking." he finished, flipping his hair and laughing.

Claireparker sighed, and rushed off to find Alexia. It didn't take long- she found her quietly sobbing in the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open.

Alexia looked over, her face stained with tears. "Go away Claireparker!" she ordered angrily.

"Not until I get some facts." she replied, walking in and closing the door behind her.

"What do you want?" Alexia asked. "Have you come to tell me how much of a wimp I am for crying over something that was never even real?"

"No..." Claireparker replied. "I've come to get some answers."

"Continuing from where you left off, are you?" Alexia asked again.

"Look, Alexia- I'm really sorry about what I said earlier- I was angry, I didn't mean any of it... I was just shocked. I know I said that you were gentle, but you didn't have to make out with me in order to let me know- you could have just told me."

"Words are never enough for me." Alexia responded sadly. "Everyone always thinks that I'm lying, or that I've gone mad..."

"I don't." Claireparker interjected softly.

"Huh?"

"I know what I've done to you." she explained. "And I fully apologise for that... seeing you like this has made me think about my behaviour in the sort of situations you caught me up in- it's made me realise that my life's a little plain and boring." She smirked.

"I-I'm not getting any of this..." Alexia said, still recovering from her crying fit.

Claireparker smiled. "You like me, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Alexia replied excitedly, her face brightening. "You're the hottest thing in the entire Console-"

She stopped, quickly resuming, this time with a quieter voice. "Hyperbolically, of course."

Claireparker giggled. "I'll take that as a yes." she said. "And, when I said all those things to you-"

"Don't start on that." Alexia interrupted. "My world, it just collapsed..."

"I think that's all I need to know." Claireparker interrupted. "So, with all this in mind- if I was to ever go into a relationship with you-"

"It would be the happiest day of my life!" Alexia interrupted, beaming.

"Stop interrupting!" Claireparker instructed jokingly. "Getting back to the point- remember how I said I didn't want to be involved in something like a serious relationship?"

"Yeah..." Alexia replied.

"Well, what would you say to...a _fake _relationship?" she asked, putting emphasis on the most important word.

"What?"

"You know, we could both pretend that we were together- only in private, mind..." she explained.

"Best idea ever!" Alexia interrupted, throwing her arms around Claireparker. Sure, it would only be pretend, but both of them were good at that sort of thing, and she was sure that pretty soon the whole fake thing would fade away...

Then, a thought struck her. "You're going to have to learn how to kiss." she said.

"Well, who's here to stop us from starting now?" Claireparker asked, slipping her hands around Alexia's waist.

Alexia giggled, running her fingers through Claireparker's hair. She couldn't believe how close they were getting, or how quickly- she was just about to begin what she'd been wanting to start since _she _had entered the Console, but just before she was about to make her move, she heard a familar voice- Kiki.

"Get off, get off!" she said, breaking free of Claireparker's hold.

"Why?" Claireparker asked, sad that their first moment had to end so quickly.

"Trust me." Alexia said firmly, as the two began to hear footsteps and a louder version of the voice she had heard moments before.

"Girls, are you okay?" Kiki asked as she looked around the door.

"Yeah, completely." Claireparker replied, this time totally meaning it.

"How about you, Alexia?" she asked, turning to her.

"I couldn't be happier." she said, glancing at Claireparker and smiling.

"Well, that's brilliant then!" Kiki commented, jumping up and down, clapping happily. "Do you two want to come and finish your breakfast? I kept it out for you."

"Sure." the two girls said in unison, laughing as they realised what they'd done.

Kiki smiled, twirling as she exited the room.

Immediately after she had left, Alexia grabbed Claireparker's hand tightly. The older girl gasped. "What was that for?" she asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Four words, Claireparker-" Alexia replied smoothly. "Our relationship starts now."


	4. First Times

Back at the table, the two tried not to rush the rest of their food, constantly looking over at each other. Claireparker knew her little pact with Alexia had been well recieved, as the latter seemed to be wanting to finish what was left of her breakfast as quickly as possible. _Wow, she really does want that kiss..._

"Done!" Alexia called, pushing her plate away and smiling.

"Good to see you've got your appetite back." Kiki commented happily from over the room.

"Are you ready yet?" she asked, turning to her soon-to-be-more-than-friend.

"We should wait a bit." Claireparker suggested.

"But-"

"If Kiki or any of the others see us..."

"They won't!" Alexia insisted, trying to keep her voice down. "We can sneak about, they won't notice a thing!"

"Alexia, just wait a minute, I'm sure that soon enough-"

A loud, monotone voice interrupted her. "This is the Console. Groove Academy 2 now loading. Would Kiki Nova please enter the game?"

"Seeya!" she called back cheerfully, dancing over to the transporter. It only took a few seconds for her to disappear.

"See?" Claireparker said. "I told you that if you were patient-"

"Yes yes, alright!" Alexia interrupted angrily. "I... I _may _have been a little wrong, but what does that matter now? We have a kissing session to be involved with!"

The two grinned and each other, before joining hands, running off to the bedroom and sitting down on the bed.

"Are you sure the boys won't see us?" Claireparker asked nervously.

"Oh, Claireparker! Stop being so immature!" Alexia scolded jokingly. "None of those lot have the slightest interest in what we're doing- we should just get on with it."

Claireparker nodded, taking a final glance around to make sure no-one was watching them.

"Right. Ready?" Alexia asked.

"As I'll ever be." Claireparker replied.

"Good! Now, first, make sure you're sitting forward, parallel to me."

She shuffled around until she was placed correctly.

"Now, wet your lips, like this." Alexia pursed her lips in and outwards. Claireparker did the same.

"Okay, that's step 1 done. Now, step 2 is what's defined as the Touch Barrier."

"Nope, you've lost me." Claireparker replied.

Alexia giggled. "Don't worry, it's simple. The Touch Barrier is how you, break the ice before a kiss, shall we say. There are many ways of doing this, so I don't want to force you into anything- do whatever you think is right."

Claireparker's heart was beating like a drum. She had no idea what she was meant to do- she wondered if she'd rushed into the whole fake relationship thing a little too fast- but, no. She knew that she couldn't back out now. She wasn't being forced into anything- those were Alexia's exact words- so she could take as long as she needed.

_Couldn't I?_

Swallowing her fear, Claireparker slowly reached for Alexia's hand, taking hold of it lightly.

"Great!" Alexia said encouragingly.

"Huh?"

"Just trust me." she said. "I know you're nervous- it happens to everyone- but I'm right here- I'm not going to let you go wrong." She rubbed Claireparker's hand with her thumb as she spoke, soothing her.

"Okay, step 3?" Claireparker asked.

"I've been doing that for the past 10 minutes." Alexia replied, gazing into her eyes.

Then it clicked. _Oh, I get it! _Claireparker thought. _If I just copy what she's doing-_

Her eyes were immediately drawn to her lips. They looked so soft, warm and welcoming- and kissable, too.

"I'm impressed." Alexia commented. "You're completing the steps with almost no help!"

"That's good, right?" Claireparker asked, still shaking on the inside.

"Very!" Alexia replied. "Now, here's the most important bit- relax."

Claireparker anxiously obliged. She felt two hands reach onto her shoulders, and Alexia's warm breath on her lips. She was beginning to get lost in those eyes, even though she was shuddering with a mixture of fear and excitement, but everything was so slow- why can't she be faster-?

In a flash, her question was answered. Alexia's lips met hers. A buzz was sent through her entire body- it was like the feeling she'd gotten a few hours ago, only longer and more intense.

Alexia smiled as she pulled away a few inches. "You like that?" she asked.

"Yes!" Claireparker answered, still not fully out of the state her first proper kiss had put her in.

"You wanna go further?" she asked.

Claireparker nodded eagerly.

"Pucker your lips, and close your eyes." Alexia instructed.

Claireparker gasped. "But what if-"

"Stop putting it off!" Alexia said. "I know you love it really..."

Claireparker sighed, doing as she'd been told. _I'm still not convinced-_

Once again, she was stopped from thinking by Alexia pressing onto her upper lip slightly, and pulling away a millimetre or so.

Her eyes sprang open, and she shyly smiled at her, fiddling with her hair in order to stay calm. Knowing that she wanted to continue, she shut her eyes once more. Soon enough, Alexia kissed her upper lip again, this time, parting them so that Claireparker could clearly feel their lips slide into each other, before pulling away again, and switching to the other lip.

"Good. Now, let's try again," Alexia urged, "only this time, I'm gonna stick my tongue in your mouth, and when I do that, I want you to massage my tongue with yours."

"Wait, Alexia- I can't do this..."

"You did everything else!" Alexia replied, almost shouting. "Do you want to learn or not?"

"I guess..." She breathed inwards, before closing her eyes and letting Alexia take control once more. She felt her tongue brush against her lips softly- she took a wild guess that this was some sort of secret code for wanting it. It took a few seconds to notice that her tongue had now entered her mouth, and was gently tickling hers. She didn't want it to stop, but her tongue had been drawn back into her mouth. _Everything's too quick..._

Then was when the decisive moment happened. Alexia's tongue re-entered, this time venturing further onto Claireparker's tongue. It felt soft, wet, and strangely addictive to the touch... but she knew that all this wasn't enough, and, opening her eyes briefly, fully let down her guard.

Alexia's hands grasped her face, and Claireparker was pulled extremely close. She nibbled and sucked on Claireparker's lips, as she groaned with pleasure and moved her tongue around. She was breathing deeply.

Claireparker reciprocated, tugging at Alexia's tight black bodysuit. She didn't want the experience to end, and although she'd never experienced anything like it before, she would have loved to do it again, and again, oh, a million times again...

Suddenly, the tongue tangling stopped, and decreased slowly into lip-locking. Claireparker tried to keep the last moments going as long as possible, but Alexia was firmly backing away, and soon enough, she stopped, knowing that it was over.

"That was cool." she said, with her eyes still closed, leaning forward.

"I knew you'd enjoy it." Alexia replied softly, propping her up as she opened her eyes.

"Where did you learn all that?" Claireparker asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say, there are all sorts of kissing simulator games out there on the web- don't tell anyone, but sometimes, I use cheat codes to jump from my game to those without the Console knowing."

"Clever." Claireparker commented. "Were there many girls in the games? What were they like?"

"Oh, yeah, there were loads." Alexia replied. "I'd just try one on for a bit, get bored, and move on, until I'd gotten bored of all of them and quitted. They taught me loads of things, I used to look up to them as if they were celebrities- but they're nowhere as good as you."

They both giggled, safe in the knowledge that they'd succesfully passed the obstacles of acceptance and making out, respectively. Now all they needed was-

"Hi guys!" came a voice. They both whirled around to see Rex standing in the doorway.

_Not that, _Claireparker finished sadly.

"Oh, hi Rex!" Alexia said cheerfully, trying as hard as she could not to show any disdain. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just trying to find you." he replied.

"And, why would that be?" Claireparker asked, feeling rather worried about what might happen next.

"To see if you can help me find my apples, silly!" he explained. "I lost some of my apples earlier on, and I was just coming in here to see if they'd magically transported."

They both exchanged consoled looks, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Their secret was safe- for now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oo-er, it feels a bit strange down here... ahem, anyway- yes, this is the (in)famous make-out chapter, included in almost every romantic fanfiction. I know this may sound strange, but I had quite a bit of fun writing this, as it's my most mature bit of writing ever (if you read my other fanfics on here, you'll see that they're nothing like this in terms of content and rating).**

**Ooh, and one more thing- for those of you wondering, or just too lazy to google it for yourselves, yes, the french kiss explanation, and after-comment by Claireparker WERE taken directly from Sarah Michelle Gellar's lesbian kiss scene from the movie Cruel Intentions, which I've never seen in full, except for the aformentioned scene, in which I took delight in watching over and over. :3**

**Wishing you a happy life,**

**Love,**

**Blaze x **


	5. Romantic Holidays

As they re-entered the lounge, Claireparker's heart was still pounding. She couldn't believe the best 20 minutes of her life hadn't been blown of its cover- well, it was Rex, after all, she thought with a slight smirk. She decided she'd continue to wait until turning from fake relationships into real ones- anything could happen between now and whatever time she decided to change her mind.

"So, Rex," Alexia asked, "where exactly did you last have your apples?"

"Hm, I think they were... well, I remember leaving them on top of the... errrrm..." his voice trailed off as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Typical Rex." she murmured to Claireparker. "Once the smart guy, three times the dunce."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." she replied. "While it's true that Rex is... a little empty-headed, he can be clever when he needs to. Quite obviously, he doesn't need to be clever now."

"Oh, baby. Stop blinding me with words, please." She put a hand on Claireparker's shoulder.

_And this is why I didn't jump into anything_, she thought to herself.

It was then that she caught sight of a dark shape under the counter. She dived to get it, knowing for sure that it was the apple, being quickly followed by Alexia, who wanted a bit of the glory as well. Soon they were on the floor, each grappling to get the object, apple or not.

As they were both reaching for it, their two hands accidentally touched. Claireparker gasped quietly, before nudging Alexia to alert her too, but to no avail. Still, she continued the nudging for a few minutes, before Alexia finally noticed.

"Now, Claireparker," she said sternly, "If you don't stop this dreadful tomfoolery right now, I'm afraid I shall have to-"

Then she caught sight of what Claireparker wanted her to see. Any other girl would have immediately pulled away, but this moment was just too perfect. Besides, when they were this close...

They both broke out in fits of giggles, not even remembering what they were down there to do in the first place. They held on tighter.

"Have I ever told you that you have extremely soft hands?" Claireparker asked jokingly.

"Moisturizer, Claireparker. You should use it sometime."

They laughed again, before suddenly being interrupted by the Transporter opening. By the pattern of quick steps on the floor, they could tell Kiki had just re-entered.

"Before I say anything else, I've got to ask- why are Alexia and Claireparker under the counter?"

Hearing these words, the two immediately shuffled out from underneath their space, trying not to give away any hints about what had happened just before.

"Oh, don't worry, Kiki." Alexia reassured after dusting herself down. "We were just helping Rex to get his apple."

"Ah, yes, about that," he interrupted. "It's funny, because- you won't believe this- it seems that I never lost my apples in the first place!"

"What?" the two girls said in unison.

Rex grinned, walking over to one of the drawers and opening it. A wave of apples tumbled out, rolling around on the floor.

All three ladies looked on in awe, before Alexia spoke.

"This is all your fault!" she hissed angrily.

"I don't think it's the fault of any of us." Claireparker corrected. "If anything, I think I won that one."

"How?" Alexia asked in disbelief.

"Well, I was the first person to at least try and get the apple-

"Which wasn't even there!" Alexia added.

"You went to get it too!" Claireparker retorted, pushing her hard.

"Uuugh, will you just be QUIET?" Kiki shouted, silencing the argument. "I just had a really good game, and now I come back in to you two fussing and fighting! Typical!"

"Should we sort this in another room?" Alexia murmured.

"I think so." Claireparker replied, walking out with her.

Once the two were out of earshot, Claireparker started to speak again.

"Was there a reason for your outburst just now?" she asked calmly.

Alexia said nothing.

"Come on, Alexia. We're not going through this again."

She sighed. "I just... I just don't want our secret getting out." she explained.

"It's not going to get out." Claireparker re-iterated, trying to ease her worry. "No one knows."

"But, how much longer, treasure? How much longer 'till they find out?"

Claireparker didn't answer this question, firstly because she quickly figured out it was rhetorical, and secondly because a part of it had her quite confused.

"Wait... what was that you called me just now?"

"Nothing..." Alexia lied, going red in the face.

Claireparker gave her a serious look.

"Well, you see, since you started talking about a fake relationship... I guess my brain took the thing to heart and thought it was real... naturally, I thought up a pet name... I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

Claireparker laughed. "It's OK. In fact, I think it's quite cute."

"Really?" Alexia asked in disbelief. "Gee, thanks. I've never been called that much- especially not by a girl..."

Her voice drifted as she shuffled closer to Claireparker, loosely taking hold of her hand.

Claireparker smiled. _Perfect, she thought to herself. Everything is just perfect._

It turned out she had thought too soon, as their unspoiled silence was interrupted by the Quartermaster crashing through the door with a shout.

Both girls rushed to get him up.

"Thanks." he said, brushing his suit down.

"What happened, QM?" Claireparker asked worriedly.

"Now, that's something I want to tell all of you. Are the rest of them in there?"

"I think so." Alexia replied. "But, I haven't seen Sergeant Riley or Romford anywhere..."

"Is that really unusual for him?" the QM asked rhetorically.

Alexia shrugged, walking back out into the lounge. Aethelwynne, Kiki and Rex were all present.

"QM!" Aethelwynne exclaimed, running his fingers through his long, chestnut coloured hair. "So good to see you!"

"Why are you here?" Kiki asked.

Before the QM could begin speaking, the ceiling lights began to flicker.

"What's happening?" Kiki asked nervously, cowering in fear.

"I'm pretty sure it's a virus." the QM explained. "It's found some route into the Console and is messing around with some of the controls. It also pushed me through the door..." He rubbed his neck in pain.

"It must have gotten through the firewall!" Alexia thought aloud.

The QM nodded in agreement, before turning to everyone.

"So, then... who was it? Anyone want to own up?"

The room fell silent for a few moments, before being interrupted by Sergeant Riley and Romford re-entering.

"Hi guys!" the former said happily.

All eyes turned to him.

"Uh, I think we've done something wrong." the latter murmured.

"Sergeant Riley," the QM asked, "what do you know about the firewall?2

"The firewall? It's very important, we have to go through it every time we play online- oh."

"Well, I think we have our culprit." the QM announced. "Now, onto what'll happen to you all whilst we try and eradicate this critter. You see, the only way to get him out is by using a special gas, but it's a tiny bit toxic, so I'll need to put you all somewhere until we've cleared- I'm thinking the Training Room, I can turn it into a summer meadow, send you on a nice camping holiday."

Everyone agreed that this was a very nice idea.

"Well, that'll be wonderful." Romford mused. "A chance to relax, toast me cogs around the campfire..."

"Not quite." the QM interjected. "You and Riley were the ones who caused all this, so it's only right thay you're the ones to clean it up." He walked over to a box, opening it and bringing out a backpack with a nozzle.

Riley hung his head and sighed. "Come on, Romford."

The soldier and friend glumly left to get kitted up.

"Now, as for the rest of you," the QM continued, "go pack your bags, there's no time to waste!" He clapped his hands enthusiastically, and everyone went off to their respective rooms, Kiki skipping far ahead of her two other female friends.

"Isn't this going to be fun?" Alexia asked. "Me, you, a summer meadow...it'll be like a little romantic holiday!"

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Alexia had rushed back to the bedroom before she could answer.

"Okay," Claireparker said to herself, "how in the world am I gonna handle this?"


	6. Songs, Sleeping Bags, and Perfect Days

**Disclaimer: The song featured in this chapter is not mine, it's property of Karen David, the actress who plays Alexia in the show. Go give her all the credit. :P**

**Also, prepare for a looong chapter, I'm trying to squeeze quite a lot in here. **

It took a rather awkward 5 minutes to get everything packed- Alexia was too busy to properly notice her, but Claireparker felt uneasy in her presence- surely she was joking about the romantic holiday?

_Why I am even worrying? _she thought. _It's with everyone else anyway- there won't be time for slushy mushy romantic stuff, she won't be brave enough._

Inside, she knew she was in denial.

Alexia, meanwhile, was still fumbling around. "Oh, where is it?"

"Looking for something?" Claireparker asked.

"Yeah. It's..."

She paused, considering whether she'd already said too much.

"It's my toothbrush." she finished quietly.

"Ooh, never knew you were such a hygiene freak Alexia!" Claireparker teased.

"I'm not!" she insisted. "I'm bringing it for… other reasons."

There was an almost eerie silence as Claireparker confusedly thought over what she could have meant.

Before any theories came to fruition, though, the QM opened the door. "Girls, time to go."

The two nodded, making their way to the Training Room.

Once inside, Alexia looked around in a rather dazed manner.

"What's wrong?" Claireparker asked quietly, feeling ever so slightly worried about her closest friend.

"I thought we'd be in a summer meadow, the QM said we'd be in a summer meadow!"

Claireparker giggled. "He has to set the buttons first. Be patient."

"Okay." The younger girl replied weakly.

Unfortunately, that bout of patience didn't last for very long, as an assortment of dinosaurs, storms and rain were unleashed on them, albeit quickly.

Alexia squealed in fear. Claireparker reluctantly took her hand, realising it would be the only way to sooth her. "I'm right here." she reassured quietly. "No need to be scared."

The plan worked unsurprisingly quickly, as she calmed down within a matter of seconds.

"Sorry," the QM apologised soon after, "I pressed the wrong buttons. Summer meadow coming up in 3, 2, 1…"

Their proper location then appeared. Woodland surrounded the outer area, whilst a large patch of lush, green grass covered the rest of the ground. The sky was blue, with few clouds, and a bright sun shone overhead, contrasting perfectly with the cool breeze.

"Wow, how beautiful…" Alexia observed. She then turned to Claireparker. "Thanks for what you did for me back there." she said, smiling. "You really helped me."

"You're welcome." she replied, trying to remain emotionless.

"I'm not seeing through that." she commented.

"What does that mean?"

"Don't act like you're not flattered. Or like you're stupid, for that matter."

Claireparker edged away at this remark. Secretly, she loved it when Alexia acted that way, but not in public.

Just as she was about to be out of Alexia's reach, Kiki suddenly spoke. "Right then, should we start setting up?"

"Ooh, yes!" Alexia replied. She nudged Claireparker. "I bet I can set up a tent quicker than you!"

Claireparker rolled her eyes and smiled. "As if!" They both rushed to get the equipment.

Kiki groaned. "Here we go again…"

"Alexia," Claireparker asked quietly, "you do know that they all have no idea we're in a relationship, right?"

"Of course," she replied, "but, at least try and get your facts right- we're not even in a proper relationship yet."

"Yeah, totally." She was still pondering over whether to make the transference from fake to real, and it was showing.

Once everything had been gathered, it was time to start building. It was much harder than everyone else made it look; they got theirs up in what seemed like a few minutes. It took an hour or so for the two girls to get anywhere, as both were distracted by more personal matters, but eventually they completed their task.

"Who won?" Alexia panted.

"I don't know," answered Kiki, "and quite frankly, I don't care! Isn't there some place you two need to be?"

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well,_ I'm _certainly leaving." Aethelwynne interjected. "Even if walking Rex isn't the most productive way to fill my time, I'll do anything to get away from you two!"

Once the two males had both left the picture, Kiki turned to them, raising an eyebrow angrily.

"Well done, Alexia." Claireparker replied. "Just as we were in deep enough trouble…"

The younger girl grabbed her forearm. "You should come with me, Claireparker. I've got something I need to show you, and now would be just the right time."

"Be careful!" called Kiki. As much as she was angry with her friends, she still had a heart, and wanted them to be safe.

"We will!" Alexia replied, scampering off.

A little puzzled, Claireparker let her accomplice lead. She tiptoed over rocks and brambles, making her way through a small patch of trees before finally reaching the destination.

She was underwhelmed, to say the least- in front of her was a very pretty little stream. However, its beauty did not make up for the fact that they had tackled some quite tricky terrain in order to get to it.

"Is… is this it?"

"Yeah."

"I don't get it. What's so special?"

Alexia said nothing, proceeding to make her way across a path of stones leading to the stream.

"Oh, no." Claireparker refused. "I've already done this on the way here, and it made me exhausted!"

"What's wrong?" Alexia asked. "Are you scared?"

"No…" Claireparker replied.

"Chicken!" Alexia teased. "Cluck cluck cluck!"

"I'm NOT a chicken!" Claireparker insisted.

"Oh, really? If that's the honest truth, why don't you prove it by coming over here?"

"Alright, I will!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she hopped, skipped and jumped over the rocks. It was all going better than expected, and she was almost certain that she was going to prove Alexia wrong- but in all of the confidence, she didn't look where she was going, and missed a step, tripping over a rock.

She pressed her lips shut in an attempt to suppress a scream. She knew that she'd fall unconscious any second now.

However, it seemed like Alexia had other ideas. She quickly lunged to catch her friend grabbing her just as she was about to slam into the rocks.

Claireparker said nothing.

"I think I should help you the rest of the way." Alexia commented.

And so, the two girls progressed hand-in-hand. It didn't take long for them to reach the right side bank.

"Uh, thanks." The events of earlier were still playing heavy on her mind, so she was being careful not to show too much appreciation, in case Alexia took it the wrong way.

"Aww, you're trying to hide your feelings." Alexia stated. "How cute!"

_God, she's fast!_

"N-no I'm not…"

Alexia raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Very well." She proceeded to slip off her shoes, dangling her toes in the water and giggling.

"Care to join me?"

At this, Claireparker shuffled around. That question was very vague- Alexia could do anything to her when the two were alone, she'd already seen first hand- but, who was she to deny her friend the satisfaction she desired? _Bury the hatchet now, _she thought to herself, _and ease the embarassment later. _

She reluctantly sat down beside her. Alexia smiled. From here, Claireparker could just about feel the cool vapour of the stream, and hear the water lapping gently against the rocks. It was very relaxing.

"Well? Aren't you going to at least take your shoes off?" Alexia asked. "Or are you too much of a chicken to even do that?"

Claireparker tried hard to stop herself blushing. "Well, OK, if you really want me to…" Taking another long look at Alexia, she undid the straps of her brown boots, taking them off and placing them behind her.

"Cute feet." Alexia commented flatly.

Claireparker looked at her with wide eyes. Alexia just grinned.

Cautiously, Claireparker stretched her legs just far enough so that the water caught her toes. Surprised by the sudden coldness, she gasped.

Alexia laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon."

Her words proved true, as just a few minutes, she was letting the water gently caress her digits without a care.

Suddenly, Claireparker felt something reach out and touch her hand. She expected a sea monster at worst, a piranha at best, but what it turned out to be was nothing more than unsurprising.

"Alexia, please…"

"What? We're alone, aren't we?"

"Well, yes..."

"And, a friendly hand-holding isn't illegal, am I right?"

Claireparker sighed."Alexia, I _know_ a coming-onto when I see one. Sure, I'll admit that the whole make-out experience was fascinating for me- but, a relationship, really? It'll only be another thing for the zombies to tease me about."

"Who cares about the stupid zombies?" Alexia retorted.

"Who cares?" Claireparker echoed. "_I _care! You don't have any idea what those zombies put me through…" She inhaled, preparing to spill secrets she'd never told.

"They drove some of my closest friends out of the city, some into their own _graves… _ the only boy I ever loved, a _boy, _Alexia…if I told you what became of him, you'd wish you'd never been programmed." A tear dropped slowly from her eye, as she remembered the torment.

Alexia was deeply touched by this. "Claireparker, I'm so sorry…" She leant in close to her.

"No, Alexia… I really don't want to talk with you right now. You're making it so much worse…"

"Claireparker, I never meant to cause you harm." She put a hand gently on her knee. "Let me kiss it better…"

Immediately, Claireparker realised what her friend was trying to lure her into. "Alexia, please, no…"

Her pleas went unheard, as, gradually, Alexia came as close as she could, softly kissing her lips. Claireparker knew she should have been recoiling from this in horror, however, something totally different happened. An almost spiritual feeling overtook her, and, bit by bit, she felt the tears drying.

The kiss had done what no one else could have ever done- it had healed a large piece of Claireparker's heart, making it go from utterly broken, to just a bit cracked.

A part of her desperately wanted to kiss back, but she could tell that, this time, Alexia wasn't trying to initiate a raucous make-out- instead, she had only been looking to ease the pain Claireparker's recollection had put her through.

"Apologies." the younger girl said quietly.

Claireparker shook her head. "There's no need to do that."

Alexia smirked. "Everything has a reason, Claireparker. And, you know, it doesn't matter if we're friends, enemies, lovers- I'm always gonna be there for you in some way."

"Right back at ya." Claireparker replied.

The girls smiled, the older girl shifting closer to her friend. She lifted her arm, preparing put it around her shoulder. "Just friends, OK?"

"Yeah." Alexia replied, feeling no disdain towards her former rival. "Just friends."

They spent around 10 long minutes together by the stream, saying nothing, listening to the trickling of the water, the distant chirp of the birds and the whisper of the breeze.

All too soon, their peaceful silence was interrupted, by footsteps, and a loud call.

"Alexia, Claireparker! Where are you?"

Both girls jumped up from their positions. "Kiki?" Alexia asked. "How did she find us?"

"She went looking." Claireparker replied. "Come on, get up before she sees us."

Alexia obeyed, getting to her feet just before Kiki came into their view. In the dark greens, browns and light blues of the stream and its surrounding area, clad in her bright costume, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Girls! Are you alright? I've been looking for you two everywhere!"

"We're fine, Kiki, but thank you for taking the time to look for us." Alexia replied with a smile.

"If Aethelwynne and Rex were around, I'd have told them to go looking, but they're still out on their walk. If they take any longer, I might have to go looking for them too!"

Claireparker and Alexia let out as natural-sounding a giggle as they could manage. How many more times would they be interrupted during such special moments?

Kiki beamed in her usual way, before eyeing the girls up and down their body, focusing her gaze on their feet. "Girls, why are you both barefoot?"

There was an awkward silence as both girls tried to come up with a joint alibi.

Finally, Alexia spoke. "Why, Kiki- can't you allow us to get a little closer to nature? I mean, this _is _probably the closest we'll get to a real meadow."

"Fair point." Kiki replied. "Well then, shall we get going? Maybe we'll be quicker than the boys!"

"Of course," Alexia answered, "but, would you spare us a minute to put our shoes back on?"

"Totally!" Kiki replied. "I'll go on ahead_, don't_ do anything stupid when I leave." She gave them an uncharacteristically stern look before skipping off.

The two remaining ladies retied their footwear, before taking a shorter route across the rocks. Claireparker smiled at the younger girl in thanks. Alexia blushed in response.

The walk back to base was largely uneventful, and Claireparker was drifting into a secure state of mind, when she heard a soft tuneful sound coming from Alexia's side.

She looked over to discover her companion was gazing off lazily into space, humming a tune Claireparker hadn't heard before.

"Where did you hear that from?" she asked.

No answer.

"Alexia?" she asked. "Can you hear me?"

Again, no answer.

Claireparker gave a low sigh. It wasn't her business, anyway- the mechanics of her relationship with Alexia were still fragile, in their prototype stages- poking her nose into a piece of Alexia's life she had no part in would just bring the whole machine to a halt.

Soon, the campsite came back into view. Aethelwynne and Rex had returned, and Kiki was busy talking to them.

"Oh, hello Claireparker, Alexia!" Aethelwynne said. "Kiki's just been telling me-"

Rex growled.

Aethelwynne winced, "I mean, _us, _what she's been up to. You two certainly get around!"

_In more ways than one, _Claireparker thought.

"I tried to go foraging for some wild berries or something whilst you were gone, but they were all on really thorny bushes."

"Why didn't you just go through them?" Claireparker asked. "And, secondly, why didn't any of us think to bring food in the first place?"

"Well," Kiki answered, glaring at Aethelwynne angrily, "_someone_ filled the bag with loads of unnecessary elven makeup!"

Aethelwynne put on one of the worst poker faces the group had ever seen, looking around nervously.

"Can you blame me? An elf of my royal stature needs to look handsome at all times!"

The group let out a collective groan.

"Are you all OK with going hungry for just one night?" Kiki asked. "Not including you, Rex- you'll eat pretty much anything."

"Sure." Claireparker replied. "I've gone weeks without food- those wretched zombies, always raiding the only working supermarket in the city…"

"How about you, Alexia?" Kiki asked, turning to the other girl.

As before, with Claireparker, there came no answer.

"Alexia, can you-"

Claireparker cut her off. "I don't think she'll hear you. The same thing happened with me earlier."

"Ohh, OK. Tell me if she starts responding."

With that, Kiki skipped away once more.

A few minutes passed, with Alexia humming to no one in particular, with Claireparker left to play the rather unwilling psychologist.

She wasn't acknowledging anyone or anything around her…

She was humming the same piece of music over and over…

She had seen many cases of people being distracted, but this case took the metaphorical cake.

It was a boring process, but after what they'd experienced, Claireparker was determined to find out what was wrong with her friend, all without physically interacting with her.

It turned out to be pretty tiring, and after observing and thinking, thinking and observing for another length of time, she chanced to look upwards.

The sun was setting.

_Oh God, has it really taken that long?_

She looked forwards, expecting to see Alexia, but was stricken with shock when she wasn't there.

Not even considering her friends' reactions, she leapt from her spot, rushing off into the dusk to find her.

"Claireparker!" she heard Rex call from behind. "What are you doing?"

She looked back, feeling anger flare up inside her. It seemed as if they'd not even noticed that Alexia had gone missing…

She would rectify that soon enough. Now, there were more important things to be getting on with.

She scanned the width of the forest, declaring to herself that it would be very easy to find Alexia, as her black and red bodysuit would stand out.

However, she was rather surprised to find that it wasn't Alexia's clothing that made her a quick catch- instead, it was a sound of singing, coming from the furthest reaches of the clearing.

At first, she thought that there was no way it could be Alexia- they'd participated in casual karaoke before, and, though she'd never been so unkind to tell her, singing was not one of Alexia's many talents. This voice, however, was different. It was soft, soulful… stunning.

She followed the notes, eventually leading herself to her prize. To her unspeakable relief, her friend was alive and well.

"Alexia, I-"

"Oh, hi Claireparker! I see you've finally arrived!"

Claireparker raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Was I… meant to be here?" she asked.

Alexia nodded. "As a certain action hero once said, 'I've been expecting you.'"

Claireparker smirked. "And why, pray tell, would that be?"

"I've been working on something, and I wanted to conceive it in private. You, of course, were the only person I wanted to reveal it to." She smiled mischievously.

Immediately, the wrong sort of thought popped up in Claireparker's head. "Oh my God, Alexia…"

"No, Claireparker, it's not _that _sort of conceiving- here, let me give you a taster…"

Claireparker stood wide eyed, as her friend tuned up her voice, and sang.

_You- you already got my heart_

_I think you can leave your toothbrush now-_

Claireparker stopped her before she reached the next line. "Wait, a song about a toothbrush? A bit of a silly subject if you ask me…"

Alexia said nothing, rolling her eyes and starting from the top.

_You- you already got my heart_

_I think you can leave your toothbrush now_

_I think you can leave your toothbrush now_

_I'm ready baby, if you are_

_I think you can leave your toothbrush now_

_I think you can leave your toothbrush here with me._

Claireparker still didn't understand what half the lyrics of the song meant, even after a full chorus, and so asked questions accordingly.

"Well," Alexia answered, "the story goes that, in relationships, leaving a toothbrush with someone is meant to indicate that you want to go into a serious relationship with them…" She dug into her pockets, pulling out the same toothbrush that she'd been packing earlier, pushing it into Claireparker's hand.

Claireparker's eyes went wide. She was right to be worried beforehand when Alexia said she had 'conceived' something, even if it wasn't what Claireparker had originally been thinking of.

"But, you know, it's completely up to you, if you want to wait a bit or jump straight in…"

"I-I think I'll wait." Claireparker replied, feeling very disturbed.

"That's OK with me." Alexia replied in an inappropriately calm manner. She looked upwards, Claireparker 's eyes following hers. "It's getting dark." she observed. "We should be going-"

"**YOU TWO!**" a voice suddenly interrupted, along with loud footsteps stomping through the undergrowth.

"Oh no…" Claireparker quivered .

Kiki quickly emerged, an unusually angry look on her face. "**I TOLD YOU TWO NOT TO GO OFF ALONE AGAIN! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN ONE DAY!**"

"We're both really sorry, Kiki-" Alexia tried to say, before being cut off again.

"**NO! THIS IS DESPICABLE! EVEN WHEN WE'RE ON HOLIDAY CAN'T KEEP AWAY FROM EACH OTHER! IF I DIDN'T KNOW BETTER, I'D THINK YOU WERE YOU HIDING SOMETHING FROM ME!**"

Both girls felt incredibly guilty. You know things are serious when you make Kiki Nova angry.

The dancer breathed in and out slowly, regaining her composure. "Which is OK, but you don't have to go all the way out here to do it. Come on, it's getting really dark, we'll get to bed when we're back."

The other girls nodded, and followed Kiki away.

"Don't worry, Claireparker." Alexia said. "We'll sort this out, I promise." 

When they reached the campsite, Kiki was pacing around worriedly. Neither of the girls wanted to ask what was wrong.

"We don't have enough tents for you two to sleep separately." she explained without any prompting.

Claireparker could feel Alexia's happiness levels heightening. Hers were plummeting dramatically. "Your nightclothes are in the tent, go get changed." She pointed towards their bed for the night, and the girls proceeded towards it.

Alexia's face drooped somewhat when she saw that the tent had two separate sleeping areas, fitted with one single sleeping bag each, as standard. Their clothes were in two separate piles, in the middle area.

Alexia walked overand picked up her pile. "See you in a minute." she said flatly.

"Oh no…" Claireparker quivered .

Kiki quickly emerged, an unusually angry look on her face. "**I TOLD YOU TWO NOT TO GO OFF ALONE AGAIN! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN ONE DAY!**"

"We're both really sorry, Kiki-" Alexia tried to say, before being cut off again.

"**NO! THIS IS DESPICABLE! EVEN WHEN WE'RE ON HOLIDAY CAN'T KEEP AWAY FROM EACH OTHER! IF I DIDN'T KNOW BETTER, I'D THINK YOU WERE YOU HIDING SOMETHING FROM ME!**"

Both girls felt incredibly guilty. You know things are serious when you make Kiki Nova angry.

The dancer breathed in and out slowly, regaining her composure. "Which is OK, but you don't have to go all the way out here to do it. Come on, it's getting really dark, we'll get to bed when we're back."

The other girls nodded, and followed Kiki away.

"Don't worry, Claireparker." Alexia said. "We'll sort this out, I promise." 

When they reached the campsite, Kiki was pacing around worriedly. Neither of the girls wanted to ask what was wrong.

"We don't have enough tents for you two to sleep separately." she explained without any prompting.

Claireparker could feel Alexia's happiness levels heightening. Hers were plummeting dramatically. "Your nightclothes are in the tent, go get changed." She pointed towards their bed for the night, and the girls proceeded towards it.

Alexia's face drooped somewhat when she saw that the tent had two separate sleeping areas, fitted with one single sleeping bag each, as standard. Their clothes were in two separate piles, in the middle area.

Alexia walked overand picked up her pile. "See you in a minute." she said flatly.

Claireparker nodded, taking her things to the other sleeping area. They both managed to get changed in what little natural light was left.

They both got silently into their sleeping bags, neither one daring to speak to the other.

Claireparker lay in her bag, events of the day rushing through her head. How many times had her and Alexia's relationship status changed throughout today? How many times had they been on the verge of breaking up, broke up, kissed and then made up and almost been hurled headlong into something much more real?

Whilst she was in the midst of calculating, she heard a small whimpering sound coming from outside. She knew exactly who it was, but didn't want to go in, in case it was just a ploy.

_I'm killing her, aren't I?_

Having several flash-forwards' to a distraught, broken and loveless Alexia rendered the older girl unable to leave the sound unattended, getting out of her bag and opening her door, going over to Alexia's doorway.

"Alexia-"

"Claireparker, I really don't want to talk right now."

"Please, Alexia, I can help you-"

"You _tried_ to help me, with this whole fake relationship thing- but it's not working! YOU CAN'T FAKE LOVE, CLAIREPARKER!"

Those last four words rang in Claireparker's head like an alarm bell, automatically making a decision on the question Alexia had posed with the song she sang earlier.

Unzipping Alexia's door, she poked her head around the parting wall. "You're completely right." She said seriously.

She climbed over, sitting in the sleeping quarter next to Alexia, whose eyes were red and puffy. She'd obviously been crying.

"W-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm tired of pretending. _Everything has a reason, Alexia._"

Alexia felt as if she could start crying again, but her lover knew a better substitute.

Taking her face in her hands, Claireparker bent forward, pressing their lips together. She extended her tongue into her mouth, feeling every crevice, every spot, and every hot, steamy cavern that her new girlfriend had to offer. Alexia did the same.

Pulling away, Claireparker gave a mean smile as she asked: "So, those girls in the kissing simulators, what were they like?"

"They _pale_ in comparison to you." Alexia purred in response.

"Let me make you a woman, Alexia." Claireparker growled, leaning back into the kiss. She wrapped her left hand around her girlfriend's neck, her right arm outspreading so she could intertwine her fingers with hers.

Getting into the swing of things (rather literally), Claireparker threw herself forwards, causing Alexia to tumble to the ground.

"So, you're the dominant one now…" Alexia mused. "I like this idea."

Claireparker gave a small gasp. Being the so-called 'dominant' one didn't just mean topping during every sexual encounter- many times, it also meant leading the other person through the relationship. Having just agreed to one, Claireparker didn't know whether this would be too much for her to do.

But then she saw exactly who she would be doing it for, and once again, the question was answered.

She stretched her neck, kissing Alexia softly on hers. "Yes I am." she whispered.

Alexia tilted her head upwards, closing her eyes. This sensation of finally pulling through, after they'd been through so much, was almost too much to handle; and she liked it that way.

Claireparker nuzzled her partner's neck softly. If she was from a vampire game, she'd have starting biting it right now, but unfortunately she was just a waitress.

_A closet bisexual waitress who fights zombies and just happens to have the best girlfriend in the world, _she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her thoughts by the movement of Alexia's arms, stretching up and out. She gave a loud yawn.

"Tired?" she asked.

"What? Nah, I'm just fine." She wriggled around underneath her girlfriend, secretly trying to get comfortable.

"I think we should start going to bed now." Claireparker replied.

Alexia groaned in response. As much as she knew it was impossible, she wanted to keep this going for an eternity.

Almost reading her thoughts, Claireparker replied with a matter-of-fact "There'll be other times. Come on, get to bed." She moved to the side, freeing up the entrance to Alexia's sleeping bag. The latter was just about to climb in, before an idea crossed her mind.

"Claireparker?" she asked, just as the girl in question was about to walk out.

"Yeah?"

She wriggled over, making space next to her, patting it.

Claireparker's eyes went wide.

"Oh, come on, please? I don't know why, but it just seems weird, sleeping alone after… that."

The older girl considered her lover's words carefully. After a couple of seconds she answered with, "Alexia, I don't think I'm quite ready to sleep in the same bed as you, but I have a solution to your problem nonetheless… back in a minute."

She got up, walking out, and leaving Alexia very confused.

She unzipped the door to her sleeping area, going in and picking up her sleeping bag. It was heavier than she expected it to be. She dragged it back over to Alexia's area, putting it into place next to her girlfriend's bed.

"See?" she asked, climbing into it.. "Close, but not too close. Does that work for now?"

"For now." Alexia repeated, climbing inside her bag and smiling.

Claireparker smiled back, not being able to get enough of those tired brown eyes.

"Night, Alexia." she said quietly.

"Goodnight, Claireparker." Alexia replied.

As soon as they were done saying their goodbyes for the night, the younger girl's head dropped to the floor, and she was asleep.

Claireparker's heart almost melted at the sight, as she too lay down to rest.

Today had, for lack of a better word, been the most perfect day.


	7. The Morning After

It was the morning after the night before, and Aethelwynne was conducting a roll call.

"Right, so we have Kiki, Rex, my _beautiful _ self…" He picked up his mirror, smiling into it and flicking his hair.

Kiki groaned. "Just get on with it!"

Aethelwynne made a disgusted face at her, before continuing. "And as for Alexia and Claireparker… wait, does anyone actually know where they are?"

"Still in bed, I'm guessing." Rex answered.

"Maybe for Claireparker, but that sort of thing would be extremely out of character for Alexia… doesn't she like to do her makeup really early in the morning?"

"Yeah," Kiki replied, "but don't _you_?"

"I needed my beauty sleep!" he protested.

"Well then, so does Alexia!" she retorted.

Suddenly, the two descended into a flurry of words, and it looked like things were going to get ugly, so Rex did the only thing he could, stepping in between the two and breaking them apart.

"Stop it! With those two presumably asleep, I thought I'd finally get some quiet around here, but no! I still have to supervise you pair!"

There was a moment of silence, as everyone got over the minor shock of hearing Rex so angry.

"Well, I guess you are right." Kiki admitted afterwards. "There are more important things to be doing right now, than arguing amongst ourselves. I should go in, try and wake them up."

The boys nodded in agreement, watching as Kiki bent down and unzipped the front door to the tent.

Ducking inside, she tiptoed over to Claireparker's area's door, unzipping it as slowly and quietly as she could.

However, she was surprised to find that the zombie fighter was not asleep as she'd imagined her to be. The bed was ruffled, and completely empty.

Kiki's eyes went wide with shock.

"Kiki?" Aethelwynne asked, poking his head around the door. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes." she replied nervously. "Claireparker's not in here."

"What? That's impossible!" Rex exclaimed.

"I'll wake up Claireparker- maybe she saw her go somewhere." Just as quietly, Kiki went over to the other side, unzipping the door as she had done before.

What awaited her this time, though, was without a shadow of a doubt, much more unexpected than the last.

"Somebody pinch me." she instructed.

"And why ever would we do that?" Aethelwynne asked from outside.

"Just, come in here and take a look." Kiki said blankly.

The boys both did as told, stopping dead when they caught sight of what she was on about.

There, just inside what was meant to be only Claireparker's sleeping area, were both Alexia _and _Claireparker, in two separate, but incredibly messy sleeping bags, with the former laid out, head against the latter's chest.

"Well, good morning, lovebirds!" Aethelwynne said, rather bemusedly.

"Wha…huh?"

Alexia's eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light even slower.

She was immediately calmed by the feeling of Claireparker's chest against her head. After last nights' shenanigans, it was good to know that the newly-formed couple had naturally grown closer together, rather than further apart.

Not realising who was watching, the younger girl smiled, nuzzling her lover softly.

This action caused Claireparker to wake up. "Ugh, early mornings suck…"

She rolled over, wanting to see the face of the girl she officially hooked up with last night, but instead locking eyes with three people she didn't expect to see.

Aethelwynne waved at her sarcastically.

"WHAT THE-!" She sprang up into a seated position, shaking Alexia and prompting her to do the same.

"What's wrong, treas- OH MY CROFT!"

She did the same as Claireparker, sitting up, and distancing herself from her girlfriend.

"WHY ARE YOU THREE IN HERE?" the younger girl shouted angrily.

"You slept in a little longer than usual," Aethelwynne explained, "and judging by the position you were in a moment ago, I think we know why."

Both girls let out a collective gasp, not wanting their relationship to be uncovered just as it had started to become serious.

"Aethelwynne, wait, you've got it all wrong!" Alexia pleaded. "It's not what you think, we were just…"

"Spiders!" Claireparker interjected.

"Treasure," Alexia hissed under her breath, "what the Tartarus do spiders have to do with anything?"

The older girl didn't reply, looking Aethelwynne in the eyes.

"Explain." he ordered.

"There were a bunch of spiders in the bit where Alexia was meant to be sleeping, so I agreed she could sleep with me for the night." Claireparker replied, sounding extremely convincing.

"Oh, so _that's _why they left my tent so suddenly!" Rex said out of nowhere.

_Talk about a happy coincidence, _she thought to herself.

"Seems legitimate to me." Aethelwynne commented. "Right then, you two, get dressed. The QM will be waiting for us!"

The girls nodded, as their three friends left the tent, closing the door behind them.

"Wow." Alexia said after they'd left. "That was _way _too close."

"You better thank me that we didn't get busted!" Claireparker responded.

"Alright, alright!" Alexia said, putting her hands up and shuffling closer. "_Thank you_." she whispered in her girlfriend's ear, smiling mischievously.

Claireparker let out a small chuckle, getting up and walking over to where her daytime clothes were piled, Alexia doing the same.

The latter was about to begin rolling up her black pajama shirt, in order to take it off, but, knowing that her partner likely wasn't prepared to see her more risqué body parts, turned to face the walls.

Just behind her, she could heard Claireparker unzipping her orange hoodie, that she often used as nightwear, throwing it to the ground.

The ravenous animal that she'd been containing for an eternity before last night wanted to just turn around as she was, to see Claireparker as she'd always wanted to, but she decided to leave her alone, for now.

Just as Claireparker wouldn't be ready to see her exposed, Alexia figured she wouldn't be quite ready to see vice versa.

After changing into their usual daytime clothes, the girls stood up, preparing to walk out.

They would have _plenty of things _to hide from the QM when they got back.


	8. Two in a (single) bed

After everyone and everything had been gathered together, it only took a few seconds for the group to reappear in the normal training room. At first, everything seemed ordinary, until the QM led them into the main lounge area.

It was completely trashed, and Sergeant Riley and Romford were pacing around, with no sign of that scary virus from earlier. Yes, it had been almost two days, and they were both _still _pursuing it haplessly.

The returning members of the group had helped to assemble a trap for the fiend, and were now crouched, waiting to pull the trigger.

"I still find it hard to understand why Riley hasn't been denoted from his position for his show of incompetence." Alexia commented.

Claireparker didn't usually like it when Alexia made those rude comments about people who were right beside her, but in this case, she had to agree.

Quietly, the group sat in waiting. This was a process that carried on for well over five minutes, until, in the distance; a progressively louder cackling sound could be heard.

It was getting closer.

"Get ready, everyone!" Riley instructed. The group stood back, each member holding onto a side of the trap.

They watched as the door opened, and the virus, in all its green, slimy, utterly repulsive form, was revealed.

Claireparker could see Alexia trying hard not to be sick. She rubbed her arm soothingly, as it was all she could do to comfort her at this moment.

A plate of leftovers was set out just below the hanging trap. The virus took an interest in this, and walked closer to it.

"Just a few more inches…" Riley urged.

It took some time, but as soon as the creature was in place, they all released their holds, letting the net drop onto the virus, entangling it.

"QM!" Claireparker called happily. "We've got him, er, it!"

The Quartermaster rushed into the room, breaking into a smile when he saw that the threat had been captured.

"Oh, good job everyone!" he praised. "Your things are still in the training room, but I'm not going to rush you. It's been a hectic couple of days!"

Everybody nodded, filing into the room. Unsurprisingly, there were only a bunch of apples, and several bags of makeup in the room, belonging to Rex and Aethelwynne, respectively.

Once the two boys had picked up their things, everyone began to come back out again. Alexia, however, stayed put.

"Alexia? Why aren't you moving?" Claireparker asked.

Slowly, the legend hunter looked around to see that no one was watching, before replying. "Well, treasure, the QM was right- today _has_ been rather busy- but that doesn't mean I can't make the most of it, right?"

"Go on…" Claireparker probed.

Alexia rolled her eyes and giggled, before explaining more. "You see, I'm far too tired to do all the jumping off platforms and swinging from vines like I do in my game, so I've personally decided that today will be a non-stop training day!"

"Non-stop?" Claireparker echoed. "Won't that be a little… strenuous?"

"Oh, yeah. But, come on, Claireparker- when has that ever stopped me?"

The two girls smiled, as Claireparker went to tell the QM of her girlfriend's plans.

Claireparker smirked at this once she was out of his sight, as she daren't do it in front of him. For the person who was the controller of the entire console and its components, he was unusually relaxed about the day-to-day-running of things.

Quickly dismissing her no doubt controversial thoughts about the QM, Claireparker went into the bedroom, to continue reading one of her zombie encyclopaedias. As it wasn't her usual rota of kill, kill, kill, it would be tedious, but, she knew that knowledge _did _equal power, after all.

Everyone's day went on pretty uneventfully. People busied themselves, but Claireparker, eager to read up on any new killing strategies for tomorrow's first day of gaming since her temporary leave, was determined to stay focused.

Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't allow herself a giggle or ten at Alexia's constant heavy breathing and words of encouragement to herself as she kept one ear on what was happening in the training room.

"Come on, just one… more… stretch! Ow, too much! OK, ease it up…"

She was sure that this hadn't happened prior to the mini trip, and their joining as a couple. _Well, they do say that love affects people in strange ways…_

* * *

><p>It was now late evening, and after a day of relaxation for most, the console and its inhabitants were settling down to rest.<p>

Kiki was already fast asleep. Claireparker was just lying in her bed, waiting.

She was feeling rather bored, but her attention was grabbed when Alexia entered, breathing heavily and sweating. She'd obviously been putting every last minute into her training.

She was trying to say something, but, rather adorably, she was so drained that she wasn't able to form the words. Eventually, she just gave up on speaking, and got changed, flopping down under the covers.

What followed was a period of the only audible sound being Alexia's breathing.

After ten minutes, Claireparker figured that Alexia would be already asleep, but as she looked over, she saw her girlfriend's eyes were as open as hers.

Unbeknownst to her, though, the younger girl was actually experiencing withdrawal. After sleeping so close to her last night, the sensation of there being even a few inches between them now was almost alien. She knew that, a couple of nights ago, she could have just gotten straight into bed without even changing her clothes, and have fallen straight asleep regardless- but there was just something about having Claireparker beside her…

She wanted to say something. She'd now gotten her breath back, but her courage was dwindling. _Nobody's perfect, I guess. _

She quietly inhaled before speaking. "Claireparker?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep."

"It's OK, neither can I."

Claireparker couldn't help but smile at how childish Alexia sounded, complaining like she was.

Meanwhile, Alexia was also smiling, but for a different reason. Claireparker's response was the perfect lead-in for what she wanted.

"So, Claireparker…"

Claireparker smoothed out the smile on her face, turning to face her. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering… seeing as you can't get to sleep, and I can't get to sleep…"

She inhaled again, not wanting breathlessness to claim her at this point.

"Would you mind it if I slept with you, just for tonight?"

The older girl sat upright, not quite believing what she had just heard. "Excuse me?"

"Surely I don't need to repeat it twice?" Alexia asked.

"No, no- but, it's just, what if we get caught, again?"

"We didn't get caught." Alexia corrected. "Someone saw us in the same sleeping area, and you saved us both with your quick thinking!"

Claireparker blushed very slightly at this compliment, before snapping back to her old self and continuing to counter Alexia's verbal reasoning with her own.

"But who's to say our luck will run out?"

"Who's to say it _won't?_"Alexia contradicted with a smile.

At that, Claireparker gave up fighting. "Come on, then." she said, shifting to the left and, pulling the blanket off to make space.

Not even trying to keep the smile off her face, Alexia occupied the space quickly.

Warmth. That was the feeling they had, both inside and out. They''d felt it last night, in a brief flurry before falling asleep, and they were feeling it again now, but in a much more complex, prolonged way.

Not that either of them would admit that immediately.

Even though their current predicament was more likeable than what they were used to, it took some time to adjust, and words were scarce as the ladies adapted to this new situation.

"You OK?" Claireparker asked quietly.

"Of course." she replied. "Why would you ask that?"

"I dunno, it's just..." The older girl looked away, considering her next words carefully. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do. You seem a little awkward, that's all."

"Claireparker, it's our first time in bed together. I'm actually pretty happy that this is finally happening. And as for pushing me into things, well, refer to my previous answer."

Her girlfriend smiled. She was trying so hard to be sophisticated; that was never something she would have actively looked for, in a friend or romantic partner.

_I guess things like that don't matter too much, _she thought to herself. _She'll lighten up eventually; if I'm not mistaken, she's already partway through that progress._

She quickly came back to reality, and spied the clock out of the corner of her eye. She didn't even check what time it was, she just had a major inkling that it was getting very late.

"Alexia, we really should be getting to sleep now."

"Awww." the younger girl replied, pouting.

Claireparker had to hold in her laughter, as to not wake anyone else up.

"Come on now, it'll be OK." She looped an arm around her shoulder. "After all, they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder- even if the person in question never really leaves."

Alexia made the move of pulling the couple into a hug.

Both could sense that the other had originally wanted to pull out of this embrace, but, somehow, they both stayed put. Though they loosened a little, everything felt in place.

Slowly, the two slid down into the bed, still holding each other.

"Goodnight, treasure."

"Night, Lexi."

The younger girl's eyes widened for a second, but Claireparker stopped her from probing any further with an affection saying of "Sweet dreams."

The phrase was repeated back to her a little quieter by her lover, as the two shared a gentle goodnight kiss.

Whatever troubles they had now could wait until morning.


End file.
